OBJECTIVE Despite increasing depression and suicide rates in justice-system-involved youth, little is known about depressogenic risk factors in this population. Therefore, we explored how levels of and changes in hopelessness and perceptions of procedural justice predicted depressive and suicidal outcomes in justice-system-involved youth. HYPOTHESES We hypothesized that higher levels and increasing trajectories of hopelessness, as well as of perceived injustice, would predict depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation across adolescence and emerging adulthood. We also expected that procedural injustice would explain the relation between hopelessness and these outcomes. Finally, we hypothesized that gender and race/ethnicity would moderate the influence of hopelessness and perceived injustice. METHOD Data for the present study were collected as part of the Pathways to Desistance study. In total, 1,354 adolescents (Mage = 16.04 years; 86.4% male; 41.4% non-Hispanic Black, 33.5% Hispanic, 20.2% non-Hispanic White) convicted of serious offenses participated. For the present study, participants answered questions on measures of procedural justice, hopelessness, depression, and suicidal ideation across 11 time points over 7 years. RESULTS Using latent growth curve modeling, we found partial support for our hypotheses. Specifically, baseline levels of hopelessness predicted depression levels and increases in depression during adolescence (ps < .01). Further, changes in hopelessness predicted corresponding changes in depression throughout adolescence and emerging adulthood (ps < .001). Similarly, procedural justice levels predicted levels of depression (p < .001), and changes in procedural justice corresponded to changes in depression during emerging adulthood (p = .01). With regard to suicidal ideation, levels of and changes in hopelessness in emerging adulthood predicted corresponding suicidal ideation outcomes (ps ≤ .01). Meanwhile, we found only marginal support for our mediation model (p = .05). Collectively, results did not vary across gender or race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS Hopelessness and perceived injustice are unique predictors of depression for juvenile-justice-system-involved youth. Preventive interventions targeting both hopelessness and procedural justice could help attenuate elevated depression rates in this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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绝望和程序正义对严重青少年犯罪者抑郁结果的作用。

目标 尽管涉及司法系统的青少年抑郁症和自杀率不断上升，但对该人群中的抑郁风险因素知之甚少。因此，我们探讨了绝望的程度和变化以及程序正义的看法如何预测司法系统涉及的青少年的抑郁和自杀结果。假设我们假设，更高水平和不断增加的绝望以及感知到的不公正，将预测整个青春期和成年初期的抑郁症状和自杀意念。我们还期望程序上的不公正能够解释绝望与这些结果之间的关系。最后，我们假设性别和种族/民族会减轻绝望和感知不公正的影响。方法 本研究的数据是作为“终结之路”研究的一部分收集的。共有 1,354 名被判犯有严重罪行的青少年（法师 = 16.04 岁；86.4% 为男性；41.4% 非西班牙裔黑人，33.5% 西班牙裔，20.2% 非西班牙裔白人）参加。在本研究中，参与者在 7 年的 11 个时间点回答了有关程序公正、绝望、抑郁和自杀意念的衡量标准的问题。结果使用潜在生长曲线模型，我们发现部分支持我们的假设。具体来说，绝望的基线水平可以预测青春期的抑郁水平和抑郁程度的增加 (ps < .01)。此外，绝望的变化预示着整个青春期和成年期抑郁症的相应变化（ps < .001）。同样，程序正义水平预测抑郁水平 (p < .001)，程序正义的变化对应于成年初期抑郁的变化 (p = .01)。关于自杀意念，成年初期绝望的水平和变化预测了相应的自杀意念结果（ps ≤ .01）。与此同时，我们发现我们的中介模型仅得到边际支持（p = .05）。总的来说，结果并没有因性别或种族/民族而异。结论 对于涉及少年司法系统的青少年来说，绝望和感受到的不公正是抑郁症的独特预测因素。针对绝望和程序正义的预防性干预措施可能有助于降低该人群抑郁症发病率的升高。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2022 APA，保留所有权利）。